Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels
by Nessa Aldarion
Summary: A continuation of the series. How has Ahiru turned back into a human again? And what do the two new students at the academy have to do with the new story?
1. Prologue

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

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_

**Prologue

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**

_Once upon a time, there was a duck that fell in love with a handsome prince. But his eyes always looked so lonely, and she wanted to do something for him. She wanted nothing more than to bring a smile to his face. That was it._

_Then, one day, as she was swimming in her pond, a mysterious old man approached her, and gave her a magical pendant. It granted her wish to help the prince, and she turned into a human. The duck-turned-girl attended a ballet academy. Alas, she was not very good at dancing, or anything for that matter. She was clumsy, some thought pathetic, but she had a big heart, and wanted everyone to smile.

* * *

_

Fog.

On the outskirts of town is a misty, mysterious lake, barely visible in the morning through all the fog. There seemed to be so sign of inhabitants in this strange lake; only the occasional bird swooping down and nesting on a tree branch.

But that was it.

Except for one little animal, a small bird that spent most of its day there. Yes, it was a lonely creature indeed, with no one to talk to. Because, it could not talk, and the ones it could once talk to were gone. They did not remember her, that side of her that was once a human who walked and talked with them. The time in her life she could walk, and dance, and speak. But that time was long gone now, and all that was left was a sad, yellow duck, which lived in a deserted pond.

But perhaps, she wasn't so unhappy.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a duck that was turned into a girl. She was in love with a prince, but that prince had lost his heart to protect everyone around him. All she wanted was to make him smile, so she had the ability to turn into Princess Tutu. She could never be with the prince, though. For if she spoke of her love for him, she's turn into a speck of light and vanish. That was the fate that was arranged for her._

_One by one, very slowly, the pieces of the prince's heart returned to him. Fear, sorrow, pride, affection, love; bad feelings to have, as well as good. And with each returned piece, the prince fell more and more in love with the princess._

_Or so he thought.

* * *

_

Because, her friends were happy, so shouldn't she be happy? The reason she had became a human in the first place, the person she loved so much that she had went back to her original form, he was happy.

With another woman.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. This princess was deeply in love with a prince. That same prince at no emotions, though, for they were all shattered as a handful of shards. She was happy with him, even though she knew he could never truly love her without a heart. Because just being with him was enough to make her happy. _

_But when the prince began to regain his feelings, he started to feel for another princess, and became more and more distant to the first princess. _

_And that really pissed her off.

* * *

_

The girl, the beautiful yet cold and distant Rue, was truly in love with Mytho from the beginning. They were perfect for each other, both one of the best dancers in the school, both admired and loved by their peers. Most would think it unfair that the prince picked her instead of the heartless duck, even after the horrible things she had done.

But the duck didn't think that way.

Because she believes that it was not really Rue who had done those things. It was Rue's alter ego, Princess Kraehe. Kraehe would do whatever it took to make the prince hers, but the little yellow bird knew, Rue would not have done the same things as Kraehe.

So she was happy Mytho and Rue were together. Because they truly deserved it. Besides, the duck wasn't completely alone.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a knight who guarded the prince. But he did not last long, for he was torn in two by the monster raven. Even after he was reborn, he was still destined the same fate._

_To not be able to protect the ones he loved._

_He had shut the real him away somewhere deep inside of him, and put on a dark and cold exterior, and became somewhat overprotective of the prince. He thought nothing of love and happiness, only to protect the prince._

_But while doing so, he had met another._

_And he fell in love.

* * *

_

"Ahiru!"

The duck slowly turned to the source of the voice, recognizing the deep voice of her dear friend. She quacked happily as she saw Fakir walk up to her, the fog long gone now.

Fakir crouched by the lake while the yellow duck swam up to meet him. "You silly duck, what are you doing out here so early in the morning?" All he got as a reply was another cheerful quack. He chuckled hopelessly. "Ahiru, I still can't understand a word you're saying."

He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to his home.

Their home.

* * *

Author's note: Hello peoples! This is my first fanfic! Yays! Anyway, sorry if the first chapter was boring and short, but I promise, the chapters to come will be more long and interesting. I'm planning to make this a really long fic, maybe 50 chapters or so. But I might not finish it, 'cuz when no one reviews, I get depressed and I delete my story. But I've been working on this for a long time now, so please review! And if you think I need a beta, please tell me, since I type really fast and make mistakes easily. I'm hoping to update once every two weeks. That should be enough time for me to finish a chapter, since I have lots of spare time when I get home from school. So, I hope you enjoyed reading the prologue!

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	2. The Duck's Transformation: Part One

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

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_

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu. It's more fun to watch it anyway.

Author's Note: Yeah, so here's the first chapter (if you don't count the prologue). I guess the prologue sounded a bit one-shottish. I was intending for it to be an actual chapter, but I guess it just went in a different direction than I hoped. I'm probably gonna write more during summer break (yea, no school!), and I already have everything planned out, the ending and stuff, I'm just gonna have a hard time getting there. I'm still revising the plot, and I'm having trouble with it. I realized I'm probably not gonna get up to 50 chapters, no matter how much I want to or try, but that's my goal. I 'm not gonna use those little Japanese things like -senpai and -sama, since I've "grew up" without those for the series. However, I will use Ahiru's name as Ahiru, since it seems like more of a real name to me than Duck, and Rue-chan. I will only use -san, -chan, -kun, and stuff like that. Sorry if that confuzzles you. It also pains me I cannot have Rue and Mytho in every chapter, since its kinda like a tradition of them being in every episode. And yeah, I'll talk some more later, since this author's note is already a lot of words long. So, so long!

Special thanks to: The reviewers, Madelyn xD, Kay, ChibiBotan88, ColoredBleach, and Princess-tutu-007; my family and friends; and Ikuko Itoh-san, for creating such a brilliant show! You guys rock my socks!

And in case you're wondering. In my icfay, Fakir **is** quite smitten with our kawaii duckie! (Fakir-and-Ahiru-love-love-zura foreva 3!1)

* * *

"Quack?"

Floating on the misty waters of the pond…was a duck. The small, yellow duck watched as a boy danced on top of the water. The duck was smitten with him, watching him dance with love and envy in her eyes.

'_I wish I could dance with him,_' she thought. '_I want to dance with the prince._' She sighed. '_But I'm just a duck, so I can't…'_

She continued to watch him dance, knowing her love would never be requited.

And then, she noticed another figure appear in the fog. It was a beautiful princess, with brown locks of hair. The duck smiled enviously. 'Wow! She's so pretty! Of course the prince would dance with her,' she added as he offered his hand to the princess. She took it, and they began a pas de duex.

The duck realized something. _'Oh! That's right! That's Prince Mytho and Rue-chan! They went away together after the story ended. And I…' _she looked down at herself. _'I turned back into a duck, didn't I?'_

The duck sighed unhappily and looked down on herself. Soon, the figures faded away into the mist. The sad creature began to swim away when she heard something behind her. She turned to see another figure appear, an old boy with dark green hair and eyes. He smiled and offered her his hand, and she quacked questioningly. _'Eh? But I can't dance, I'm a duck...' _But suddenly, she was enveloped in a warm light, and felt strange, familiar tingles throughout her body. In an instant, the world around her became smaller than it already was to her, and she lifted her hands up, and flexed her fingers astonished.

She was human again.

She took the boy's hand, and he pulled her close to him. She blushed at being so close. He twirled the duck-turned-girl around and she extended her leg outwards. Their dance seemed to last forever.

_'Fakir is dancing a pas de deux with me',_ she thought happily. _'And I'm human again, too! I'm so happy right now! If I could go to the academy again with all of my friends...I'd give my life for that.'_

As they did their final move, the girl and boy looked at each other, hand in hand. Then, from behind her, the girl could hear an eerie cackle. "Ehehehehehehehe!"

She turned around sharply, recognizing the voice. "Who's there?" But she didn't see anything. But she heard the same voice again. "Be careful what you wish for! Ehehehehe!"

But this time, the voice wasn't coming from behind her, from where she turned to look.

It came from in front of her.

She turned around slowly, expecting, hoping it would be Fakir there. But it wasn't.

It was Drosselmeyer.

"ACKQUAAACCKKKQUAQUACK!" The girl screamed as she turned to run. She flapped her arms up and down in fright, then realized they were no longer arms, but feathers. And she was a duck again. She looked down to see the floorboards, and realized she was about to fall out of a bed. She quacked one last time as she flipped out of bed and onto the floor.

* * *

**Chapter One: The Duck's Transformation**

**Part One of Two

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**

Birds chirped hungrily by the window. The window opened slowly, due to the fact that it was another bird opening it. Once it was finally open, the millions of birds rushed inside, knocking the little duck over. "QUACK!"

There were too many birds scattered in the room, so the duck waddled over to the open door and hopped down the steps. The other birds followed.

Fakir was cooking eggs on the stove when he heard a chirping noise coming from upstairs. He turned to look just as a swarm of birds flew in the kitchen. There were so many, he couldn't see a thing. "What the hell is this!" he said to himself.

Ahiru tried to get through the mob of birds in order to get the birdseed. She pushed and shoved, and finally she got to a cabinet. She opened it up, pulled out the bag of birdseed with her beak, and hurriedly waddled out the door.

Right when Fakir was about to shoo a bird away for pecking at his breakfast, in a matter of seconds, they all flew out of the door. He sighed, exasperated. The writer looked out the door to see they were all huddled around a bag of birdseed. He sweatdropped as Ahiru wandered in, exhausted. "Did you do that?" he asked, pointed to the birds.

Ahiru nodded, tired. She flew up onto the table and waited for breakfast. "What, you're hungry too?" Fakir asked as he closed the front door.

It has been a few months since the defeat of the monster raven. Since Ahiru was Princess Tutu and Mytho was heartless. Fakir and Ahiru were both glad that they found their own happiness somewhere else, and they expected them to write again soon. Fakir had stored the previous letters they sent in a drawer in his desk.

Fakir still couldn't find a way to make Ahiru human again. He had tried to write stories to help her, but he couldn't find the _right_ story, the _perfect_ story. Ahiru truly deserved happiness, more than any of them. Fakir felt guilt (and was sure Rue and Mytho did too) that while they were humans, living their lives like normal people, Ahiru was still only a duck. Even if that was what she lived as before, swimming in the pond without any friends, Fakir knew in his heart that Ahiru longed to be a human again.

And he would do whatever it took to make her human again.

Fakir was deep in thought, and Ahiru noticed. "Quack?" Fakir snapped back to reality.

"Oh, sorry, spaced out for a bit."

Ahiru cocked her head to one side as she pecked some more at her bread. They continued to eat in silence (Fakir has nothing to talk about and Ahiru can't talk) when they heard a knock on the door. Fakir got up to answer it, and Ahiru stayed at the table, thinking it's just another fangirl from the school. But she peeks to see who it is anyway.

Fakir answered the door, and is nearly knocked over.

"Good morning, good, good, morning, and hello my friends! How are you, yes, yes, how are you? Doing fine, very fine? Yes, very fine indeedy, oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!" The man at the front door was wearing a tophat and a golden suit, with a baton. His orange hair fell in waves, long enough to cover his ears.

"Qua--!" Ahiru jumps with surprise and Fakir backs away. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"Who am I? Who _am_ I, you ask?" he laughed. "Well, welly well well then, I must introduce myself. Yes, yes, you must know my name indeed, very much indeed, you must know my name at once!"

Fakir sighed. "Just get to the point already."

"Yes! My name is Hani, yes, Hani, at your service!" He pulled off his hat and bowed, adding, "And I was sent by Prince Mytho and Princess Rue to escort, yes, escort Sir Fakir and Lady Ahiru to their castle--"

"What? Rue and Mytho?" Fakir asked astonished. Ahiru quacked, jumped off the table, and waddled excitedly over to Fakir and Hani.

Hani looked at them condescendingly and frowned. "That's _Prince_ Mytho and _Princess_ Rue to you! Dear, dear, the disrespect young adults show these days to those of a higher class! Acting as if they're _friends_!"

Now it was Fakir and Ahiru's turn to look at Hani condescendingly. "We _are_ their friends."

Hani look slightly embarassed. "Yes, w-well," he stammered, a pink flush creeping onto his yellowish complexion, "t-that's beside the point, now, anyway! You two, I'm assuming you're these 'Fakir' and 'Ahiru' peoples they are talking about, I am pleaseed to inform you, that both of you," he pulled out an envelope from his pocket-- it had a seal with two swans on it, the tips of their beaks touching for form a heart. Ahiru recognized it has the same thing carved into Mytho's sword handle-- and handed it to Fakir, "have been invited to Your Highness's royal ball, a ceremony for their wedding."

Fakir took it and read outloud the contents. "We've got an invitation to visit Rue and Mytho for their wedding?"

_"Prince_ Mytho and _Princess_ Rue"-- Hani put an emphasis on "Prince" and "Princess"-- "insisted on inviting you two as special guests, as well as the entire Kinkan Academy." Hani obviously disapproved of this. Ahiru and Fakir noticed his cheerfulness that he first had was replaced with contempt behavior.

He clapped his white-gloved hands. "Let us begin our journey fortwith!"

* * *

Hani walked towards the carriage that was parked outside Fakir's house (but not before eating some of their breakfast, which angered Fakir). It was pulled by two female horses, one black, the other white. The carriage itself was a maroonish color, looking a little like velvet. Fakir picked up Ahiru in his arm and stepped outside. They both noticed people walking outside and stopping to stare. _Could he have at least come when there weren't so many people around?_ Fakir thought to himself. Ahiru quacked, and Fakir noticed a little hopefulness in her voice. He guessed what she was asking. "No, Ahiru, I don't think Mytho and Rue are in there."

Ahiru quacked unhappily as Hani turned around and glared. "It's _Prince_ Mytho and _Princess_ Rue!"

"Shut up." Fakir glared back annoyed, and Hani quickly turned and continued walking, defeated.

Ahiru heard some girls in the crowd talking amongst each other. "Ooh! Look, it's Senior Fakir! I wonder where he's going?"

"Yeah, and who he knows that has a carriage like that! I wonder if he's actually a prince!"

"Or a knight!"

"I don't know many princesses and princes around here."

"Oh, well, the only ones I know of are Prince Mytho and Princess Rue! They used to go to Kinkan Academy."

"But what's he doing with a duck?"

"Yeah! And I heard a distant rumor that they were both friends with Fakir!"

Hani hastily opened the door of the carriage for the duck and former knight, and they climbed in. It was very nice inside. There were windows on each door with dark red curtains, and the walls and seats were cushioned with red velvet. Ahiru quacked in awe. Hani closed the door, and Ahiru jumped over to the opposite window and looked out the window. As the carriage began to move, Ahiru silently waved to all the pedestrians. They didn't notice though.

* * *

Ahiru had never been outside of Kinkan town before, so it was an exciting experience for her. She gazed at all the trees passing by as they rode on the trail. She noticed some birds and squirrels and other forest animals, and wished she could show Fakir.

But Fakir fell asleep.

Ahiru sighed, turning to Fakir, then turning back to the window.

Hani, on the other hand, kept on chatting away about life at their castle. His bright and airy mood was back. "It is a very pretty place, yes, very pretty, very much so. There are plenty of gardens and flowers and ponds and tables and picnics and birds and-- oh! I must show you two the rooms, they are absolutely gorgeous, yes, yes, I am very proud to live there, and the food is divine! A wide variety of food, yes, yes indeed, yes indeedy-deed! And then--"

Fakir's eyes flashed open, and Ahiru sensed a bit of anger in them. "Will you please be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep."

Hani was quiet from then on.

* * *

When Hani went to open the door for Fakir and Ahiru, he never expected them to be sleeping. He smiled at the cuteness of the yellow duck sleeping in Fakir's lap, his right hand covering on side of her. Hani didn't want to disturb them, sensing this was a rare sight to see.

He woke them up anyway, but rather loudly.

"TIME TO WAKE UP, YOUNG QUESTS OF THIS HUMBLE CASTLE!"

Fakir and Ahiru both shot up in their seats, still dazed. "QUACK?"

"We have arrived at our destination, now, please, yes, pleasy pleasy, step out and come inside. Your Highnesses will be waiting for you.

Fakir stepped out and scratched his head. "Can you _try_ not to be so loud next time?"

"Oh, not to worry!" Hani laughed, agitated. "There won't be a next time, because I'M NOT **EVER** DRIVING YOU TWO AROUND **AGAIN**!"

"Fine! See if I care!" Fakir retorted at Hani.

"Now now, there's no need to shout."

Ahiru hopped out, and she and Fakir turned to the source of the voice.

_Mytho?

* * *

_

**I'm afraid that is all for today. Is a fun story awaiting us? A sad story? Or maybe...  
**


	3. The Duck's Transformation: Part Two

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

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_

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu.

Author's Note: Yup, so, sorry for the delay. I had a tremendous writer's block. I know a lot of the major plot points and stuff, but I'm just having trouble getting there. And since me writing has gotten in the way of my schoolwork, I decided to wait until summer vacation started to write. Plus, I finally found a way to take screencaps of Princess Tutu on our eMac. So that kinda consumed me for a while, seeing as how I've screencapped episodes 6-18 in the past few days...anyway, I hope you like this next chapter!

NOTE: I wrote the last part while listening to "Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky. Tee hee...

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**Now, let us continue our interrupted story. Is what is waiting for us a happy ending? A cruel ending? Or maybe...?

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**

**Chapter One: The Duck's Transformation**

**Part Two of Two

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**_Mytho?_

Hani rushed over to Mytho, crying out, "Your Highness! They show no respect!" He rested his head on Mytho's shoulder, sobbing loudly.

_He obviously has some issues..._ Fakir thought to himself as he shook his head. He glanced down at Ahiru, and noticed she was silent. _She's probably remembering the past._

Fakir turned back to Mytho, who looked back and smiled. "It's been awhile, Fakir, Tutu." He gave the duck a soft smile, which made her blush. "Or should I say, Ahiru?"

Ahiru looked down and blushed even more. Mytho only smiled. He bent down and picked Ahiru up, who in return quacked nervously. "Has our good knight been treating you well?"

Ahiru turned to Fakir, but he was already walking away. Mytho began walking as well, still carrying Ahiru. Mytho started talking to Ahiru, even though she couldn't talk back. "Although it is hard to believe that you were once Princess Tutu-- no offense, though-- I'm glad, that you, of all people, was Tutu." Ahiru blushed and looked up questioningly. Mytho looked straight ahead and continued. "Because, if it had not been you, Ahiru, things might've...no, _would_ have turned out differently. You, who was filled with so much hope and love, were the only one who could save us. I would not be with Rue if it weren't for you. Thank you."

And at that moment, Ahiru felt proud of herself.

* * *

"Would you kindly get Rue for me please?" 

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty!"

As one of the maids ran off to find Rue, Ahiru (still being held by Mytho) glanced at her surroundings. In the hallway that she, Mytho, and Fakir were standing in, there were many intricate paintings of not only people, but landscapes and animals. There was one she particularly liked, though. It was of a white swan, floating in a pond, with grass and trees around it. _That reminds me of the pond I swim in in Kinkan Town._

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mytho began to speak again. She and Fakir both looked at him. "Just to let you know ahead of time, Rue doesn't remember anything about being Kraehe, so it'd be wise not to mention it. It'll cause painful memories to flood back to her. I think you know what I mean, Fakir." He looked at Fakir, and Fakir nodded. Then Ahiru understood. _Rue-chan surpressed her memories about being Kraehe, just like Fakir did with his ability to write stories that came true. Poor Rue-chan..._

"But Rue has changed a little. She's not the same as before--"

"Did someone say my name?"

Ahiru quacked happily. _Rue-chan! _She flew out of Mytho's arms and up to Rue as she walked toward them. Rue held out her arms and caught Ahiru and held her close. "It's nice to see you again, Ahiru." Ahiru responded with a quack.

Ahiru noticed that Rue and Mytho were wearing the same clothes they wore when they left the day the raven was defeated. Rue looked absolutely stunning in her cream-colored gown, and Mytho looked just as handsome as he did before.

Fakir and Rue didn't hug, only nodded at each other. They were never really friends, but they now were on much friendlier terms.

Rue looked back at Mytho, saying, "Anyway, what were you three talking about about?"

Mytho smiled. "Oh, nothing really. Just, uh, how remarkable that painting is!" He pointed to the one Ahiru was admiring earlier, the one with the swan.

Rue didn't seem too convinced, but she didn't prod on. Instead, she said, "Well, then, Ahiru, Fakir, let us show you two around. We'll give you a grand tour.

* * *

Ahiru waddled around outside, making trails in the sand. She had never been to a beach before, let alone see one. It was much different from the pond. She took in the scent of the salt water, and jumped in. It was cold, but Ahiru had fun playing in the waves. _I wish Fakir and Mytho and Rue-chan were with me._

Ahiru recalled what had happened earlier. Rue had said it was time for dinner to be served, and they all headed to the dining room to eat. "The big feast is tomorrow, and there's going to be lot of people, adults and children. We've invited all of Kinkan Town, so it'll be crowded."

As they reached the doors, the cook that was standing there waiting for them stopped smiling as soon as she saw Ahiru. She looked rather nervous.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. Animals aren't allowed inside the dining room."

She directed that toward Fakir, who was now holding Ahiru. He was obviously annoyed at him calling her an animal, and was about to say something back when Mytho said, "It's okay, she's special."

"But--"

Rue stepped in. "Are you defying us? You know, we could have you kicked out and banished right now!"

_Wow_, Fakir thought. _She's very good at intimidating people. No wonder she has all the control around here. _He noticed that sometimes even Mytho trembled when she gave orders.

The cook cowered as Rue took a step toward her, still spouting out threats, when Ahiru quacked to get their attention. _No, no, it's fine! I'll just wait outside. It's okay, really!_

Then she remembered they couldn't understand her.

Fakir, after living with her for all those months, understood what she was saying. Partly because he knew what she would've said if she could. He cleared up the confusion by stating what she had said, and that was it.

So now Ahiru was by herself-- having fun, nontheless-- in the ocean. _They should be getting back soon..._ she thought as as was engulfed by a wave. She was having a hard time reaching the surface when she felt strong and firm hands lift her out of the water.

"Moron, you might drown like that," Fakir teased as Mytho and Rue walked toward the water's edge. Fakir was knee-deep in the water, and he started to walk out.

"Can ducks even drown though?" Mytho asked with a curious look on his face.

"You never know with her..." Fakir mumbled to himself. Unfortunately, Ahiru heard. She quacked angrily and attempted to splash water on Fakir, but to no avvail.

"Here, let me help you with that," Mytho said as he walked ankle-deep in the water and splashed Fakir.

"What the heck?" Fakir shouted, drenched in salt water. He splashed Mytho back, soaking him as well. Rue shrugged her shoulders and joined them.

Little did they know that a black haired girl was watching them from afar.

* * *

It became dark out. Fakir and Ahiru shared a room all to themselves. As Fakir took a shower, a maid helped set up Ahiru's bed. 

A pillow with a blanket over it.

_Sheesh, you think in a sophisticated place like this, they'd have a fancier bed for a duck,_ Fakir thought to himself as he walked out of the bathroom. He was already dressed for bed, so he climbed in and pulled the covers over. Ahiru quacked "goodnight", and Fakir responded the same.

No matter how hard Ahiru tried to get comfortable, she just couldn't. She tossed and turned, fell onto the floor a couple of times, and eventually she gave up. Fakir noticed this, and sighed. "Hey, you can sleep with me, if you want."

Luckily it was dark, so they didn't noticed the other blushing.

"Not _with _me, but, uh, you can sleep on the bed too." Fakir almost smacked himself on the head. He knew how wrong that sounded, and was sure Ahiru was looking at him with disgust. But he then heard a soft _plop!_ and turned over. Though it was dark, his eyes had already adjusted, and he saw Ahiru lying down next to him. He blushed and immediately turned away.

And they slept.

* * *

The next morning, they woke up super early to get to breakfast. Ahiru was so tired she almost ran into a wall. And this time she was allowed in the dining room. 

"We're gonna take you around and show you-- Mytho, would you wake up already?" Rue screamed through the bedroom door. Fakir and Ahiru grew tense. Rue sighed heavily. "He _always _wakes up late...anyway, we'll meet you outside, Mytho!"

They waited on the beach again, this time not going in. Rue told them pointless stories of their life there that only seemed to interest Ahiru.

Meanwhile, up in Mytho's room, he had just gotten out of bed when he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" He tried to quickly change out of his nightshirt, but he hadn't even unbuttoned the first button when the door swung open.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet," he started, and the black-haired girl walked toward him. Her deep violet eyes showed malicious intent, and Mytho took a step back, the window behind him.

* * *

Gears turned everywhere. The old man with the red cape on gasped. "Oh dear, the story is going to move again! I guess this story isn't over yet, eh?" He watched as a gear showed a purple-eyed girl push the white-haired prince out of the window. 

The old man turned to the little girl beside him, who was beating a drum and "ooh!"ing. "Uzura, I believe it's time to send you back into the story again."

"Oooh! Okay-zura!"

And the girl jumped through the gear, singing "love-love-love-love...!"

* * *

Ahiru listened to the stories of Hani and his dramaticness when they all heard a shout from behind them. "Woowww! He's falling from a window-zura!" 

Everyone turned to the little girl who was pointed to the castle in awe. "Uzura! What're you..." Fakir started, then they registered what she had said. They all turned to look, and saw a white-haired boy in only a nightshirt falling from a window.

"**Mytho!**"

* * *

"Oh dear, the prince is going to die! And after you worked so hard to defeat the raven and restore his heart!" Drosselmeyer cackled. "Who is going to save him? Not the useless knight or the princess. Who else?"

* * *

_Oh no!_ Ahiru screamed in her mind. _Mytho can't die! Not after all the trouble we went through! If...if only I could be Princess Tutu, just one more time!"

* * *

_Drosselmeyer jumped up and down on a gear. "Thar's what I wanted to hear! Are you going to save the prince? Do you want to be Princess Tutu again to save the prince? Very well then!"

* * *

Uzura pulled out a necklace with a red stone on it out of her pocket. "This belongs to you-zura!" She exclaimed as she draped it around the duck's neck. She was suddenly enveloped in a bright light, and Rue and Fakir had to shield their eyes. Then, someone they had never seen in a long time appeared in front of them. 

Princess Tutu.

"Prince!" Tutu exclaimed as she did a grand jete up and toward the falling Mytho. She caught him by the hand and lifted him up. Mytho looked startled. "Tutu?"

Fakir was amazed as well. _But, how did she...?_

Tutu and Mytho slowly floated back down to the ground, softly landing in the sand. "Prince..." Tutu smiled, then gasped as she heard Fakir call her name behind her.

"Ahiru! W-wha...how...?" They were all astonished at seeing Ahiru human again, all except Uzura, who was too busy observing the girl looking down at them from Mytho's window.

Tutu looked down at herself. "Wh...q--QQUUAACCKKK!"

She turned back into a duck just as easily as she had turned into Tutu. _Eh? Why--how did I turn into Tutu again!

* * *

_Drosselmeyer watched it all from a gear. "At last! The next act begins! But this time, things will turn out differently than before! There won't be any happy ending. Yes, tell me the finest tragedy! I look forward to it, little duck! Ehehehehehe!"


	4. A Rewritten Story: Part One

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu.

Author's Note: Oh my god, I went to Metrocon! Woo! I kinda-but-not-really "met" Luci Christian, and I heard Chris Patton talking for a few minutes before we went to see the chess match (which was uber-long, by the way). And I got a Mokona hat! Squeel! Well, anyway, thank you all for reading my story. You don't know how much it means to me to know people like my story! So, peace out and enjoy!

In the previous chapter: Ahiru and Fakir were invited to Mytho and Rue's wedding. They had fun on the beach and hanging out with each other, unbeknownst to the fact that they were being watched. Then, Mytho was pushed out of the window, and Ahiru was turned back into Princess Tutu to save him.

* * *

**Chapter Two: A Rewritten Story**

**Part One of Two

* * *

**

_Tutu and Mytho slowly floated back down to the ground, softly landing in the sand. "Prince..." Tutu smiled, then gasped as she heard Fakir call her name behind her._

_"Ahiru! W-wha...how...?" They were all astonished at seeing Ahiru human again, all except Uzura, who was too busy observing the girl looking down at them from Mytho's window._

_Tutu looked down at herself. "Wh...q--QQUUAACCKKK!"_

_She turned back into a duck just as easily as she had turned into Tutu. _Eh? Why--how did I turn into Tutu again?

As Ahiru turned back into a duck and lay on the ground, confused, Uzura said, "Oooh!", and went to the edge of the sand to scoop up a handful of water. Fakir bent down to pick Ahiru up just as Uzura poured the handful of water on Ahiru's head. She was yet again turned back into a human. Fakir was already used this, but didn't have time to turn around, because as Ahiru changed back, she accidentally kicked him in the face. Rue looked at Ahiru, shocked, then turned to Mytho and shouted, "DON'T LOOK!"

"I'M NOT LOOKING!" Mytho called back as he turned around. Ahiru blushed and Fakir was laying on the ground, clutching his forhead. Rue went over to Fakir and ordered, "Take your shirt off."

Fakir glared at her. "Why? You already have Mytho. Why would you want to do it--"

"NO, YOU **IDIOT**! I MEAN GIVE YOUR SHIRT TO AHIRU UNTIL I GET HER SOMETHING TO WEAR!"

"WHY SHOULD **I **HAVE TO DO IT?"

"Ah, u-um..." Ahiru stammered as she shivered. Rue noticed that, and she bent down and ripped off Fakir's school jacket. She tossed it to Ahiru, who quickly put it on. The bottom went down to her mid-thigh, and the sleeves went over her hands.

"Hey! Rrrgg..." Fakir grumbled as he stood up. He had a big lump on his forehead. Rue walked over to Ahiru and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yup!" Ahiru stated with a big smile. "I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me, Rue-chan!"

Rue smiled. "The same old Ahiru..."

"Eh?" Ahiru asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Rue helped Ahiru up as Uzura tapped her drum. Fakir walked over to Ahiru, taking in the sight. She was slightly taller than she was before, since it had only been a few months. But he was still a head taller than her.

Ahiru gasped. "Oh! Fakir, how'd you get that bruise on your forehead?"

Fakir covered his face with his hand. _She's completely clueless..._

"Um, Mytho?" Rue called. "You can turn around now."

* * *

Rue rummaged through her closet of dresses. Ahiru sat on her bed. The window was wide open. Ahiru got up and walked over to it. She leaned out and looked at the ground below. _This is the same window Mytho fell out of. But why would someone want to push him out?_

"Aha!Rue practically shouted. She pulled out a bright yellow dress. It wasn't special or anything, just a plain yellow dress with sunflowers on it. "Here." Ahiru walked back over to Rue and took the dress. "I'll be outside when you're done." Then she walked out.

Ahiru began to change into the dress. She took off the jacket and thought of Fakir. _Fakir...I wonder if he wrote my story for me. When I changed into Tutu, the look on his face...it held neither anger nor sadness. Just confusion, and...happiness. _ She smoothed out the dress, and folded the jacket. _Well, I'm glad he's happy that I'm human again. I am too. Now I can talk, and I might be able to do ballet again with Pique and Lilie..._

She walked out the door while clutching the jacket, and walked to the dining hall with Rue. It was already too late for the tour of the castle grounds, and it was now lunchtime. They reached the hall, and the cook said nothing to them. Ahiru couldn't help but stick out her tongue at the cook, who raised an eyebrow, confused.

They walked inside, and Ahiru gasped. There was a huge, long table with tons of seats. Plates of food were covering the entire table. Ahiru didn't notice how hungry she was until now, and her stomach grumbled loudly. Rue giggled, and walked over to where the boys were. Fakir and Mytho looked up, and Fakir instantly blushed and turned away. Ahiru was confused by this, and Mytho and Rue looked at each other, each bearing evil smirks on their faces.

Fakir and Mytho were sitting across from each other, and Rue quickly sat down next to Mytho, (intentionally) leaving Ahiru no choice but to sit next to Fakir. She pulled the chair out and sat down, still holding the jacket. Fakir didn't take one glance at her or say anything, and Ahiru frowned. Mytho whispered something to Rue, who giggled. Fakir heard though, and his face turned red. "THAT'S NOT IT, REALLY! SHUT UP!"

Mytho and Rue cracked up as Ahiru sat there confused. Then she remembered the jacket. "Oh! Fakir, thank you for letting me use this!" She held out the folded jacket, and Fakir quickly took it and put it on. This time, Rue whispered something to Mytho, and they both laughed. Fakir heard once again, and yelled angrily, "I WASN'T THINKING THAT! STOP MAKING THINGS UP!"

Then, Ahiru noticed many other people were sitting at the tables, too. She saw people from Kinkan Town, including Pique and Lilie. She noticed Neko-sensei eating some fish. He scratched behind his ear with his paw and went to some chicken. She also noticed some people she had never seen before, like a girl who looked a little older than her and her sister. The girl had short hair and bows in it, and she pushed her plate away. "I can't eat this, I'm a vegetarian." The girl next to her, who was her sister, put her somewhat curly black hair out of her eyes and glared. "Stop complaining and eat."

Ahiru turned back to her food. It looked kind of good, but smelled familiar. It looked like chicken, and when a cook passed by, Ahiru asked, "Um, excuse me miss, could you tell me what this is please?"

The cook smiled and nodded, saying, "Oh, yes, dearie, it's **roasted duck**."

"QQUUAAA---MMPH!" Ahiru slapped her hands over her mouth and ran out of the dining hall. The cook, thinking Ahiru was a little girl, said, "Why, yes, the sound ducks make _is_ 'quack'." Rue, Mytho, and Fakir all heard this, and they quickly spit out their food and pushed their plates away with disgusted looks. They didn't eat anything else for the rest of the day.

* * *

Ahiru wanted to play at the beach again with them, not as a duck, but at a girl. She jumped in the water and splashed Fakir, who was sitting a little off from the water. Fakir threw sand at her, and Ahiru squeeled. Mytho and Rue sat in the sand too, and smiled at how adorable Ahiru was. "C'mon! Come in too, you guys!" Ahiru giggled and fell back into the saltwater. Mytho got up and walked toward the water. As Ahiru stood up in the water, rubbing her eyes, Mytho came up from behind and threw Ahiru on his shoulder. 

Ahiru squeeled and blushed, laughing as Mytho spun around and dropped in the water, Ahiru with him. Rue noticed what Mytho was thinking, and turned to Fakir, who obviously had on a look of jealousy. "Well, go play with her!" Rue exclaimed. "Before Mytho completely wins her heart."

"And why would I care if he did," Fakir grumbled in a tone that showed he obviously cared. Rue just laughed and pulled him up. "Hey! W-what're you doin--AACCKKK!"

Rue pushed Fakir into the water with a splash. Mytho and Ahiru looked up from their game, and Ahiru laughed. Fakir sat up in the water and glared at Rue. "I'm gonna kill you..." As he stood up, Mytho took his arm and pulled him back into the water. Everyone laughed, and Fakir stood up again and glared at Mytho. But this time, Ahiru jumped on Fakir's back and knocked him over. Then, this was when Fakir started to laugh.

Mytho, Ahiru, and Fakir were all splashing each other when they heard a distant voice. "Prince Myyyyttthhhhoooooo!"

They all turned to see Hani rushing over to them. Fakir mumbled, "Oh great..."

Hani reached the shoreline and called out, "Prince! A message has arrived for someone named Fakir, but I don't know--"

Fakir raised his hand, saying, "That's me." He walked out of the water and took the letter from Hani. He ripped the envelope open and groaned when he saw it was from Aotoa. Ahiru and Mytho walked out, and everyone-- except for Hani-- crowded around to read the letter.

_Fakir,_

_This is urgent. You must come back to Kinkan now! It's an emergency!_

_From, _

_Aotoa_

_P.S.: HURRY! _

Everyone was confused by this, and trying to imagine what could be so important that they had to leave right then. "Well," Fakir started. "You read the letter. I'm afraid we have to leave."

"Sorry we couldn't stay for the wedding ceremony," Ahiru apologized sadly.

Mytho said, "No, it's fine. Just keep in touch with us, okay?"

The both of them nodded and went to dry off and change.

Hani turned to Rue and Mytho and said, "You must be crazy to think I'm driving those two again."

He ended up driving them home anyways.

* * *

Ahiru smoothed out her dress as she sat in the carriage. This dress was pink with a bow in the back. Uzura was coming home with them. Hani was silent the entire way, and Fakir fell asleep again. Ahiru looked over at Fakir's sleeping face. He had on a faint smile, and he looked peaceful. Ahiru smiled and turned away. 

Then she heard someone say her name. She turned to Fakir, who again said, "Ahiru..." in his sleep. Ahiru blushed and looked away, trying to convince herself that it was just a figment of her imagination. But she looked over and saw him say it again. Uzura, who sat between the two of them, said, "Why's Fakir saying your name-zura? Could it be you two are love-love-zura?"

Ahiru ignored her comment. Ahiru stared intently at Fakir to see if he would say anything else. And he did. "...you moron..." Ahiru glared at him and turned to look out the window. "Hmph! Even in his sleep he thinks I'm an idiot..." _Well, it's not like I thought he was saying that because he like me. Nope! I wasn't thinking that at all!

* * *

_Ahiru picked up Uzura and stepped out onto the cobblestone. She turned to Hani and said, "Thank you for the ride, Hani! You're really nice." Hani instantly turned red and rode off. Ahiru ran to catch up to Fakir, and put down Uzura to let he walk.

Ahiru was lost in her thoughts. Kinkan Town didn't look any different. She was so busy thinking that she ran into someone. "Oops! I'm sor--" That's when she noticed what she had ran into was furry. She looked up and gasped. Towering over her was a giant bear. "A-a b-b-b-b-be-b..." The weird thing about this huge bear was that it was wearing normal clothing. Ever since the story ended, there hadn't been any animals around. She knew this because sometimes she would walk around town. But then she remembered seeing Neko-sensei at the castle. He was in his animal form, she just didn't really notice since it seemed so natural. _Are there animals now because...another story has been started?_

The beard huffed and growled, "Excuse you, miss." She walked off, with three little bears trailing beind her, all of which looked at her and said "hmph!" before walking off. Ahiru looked after them, and gaped at all the other animals around her. As well as humans, there were armadillos and kangaroos, any animal you could think of. The only animals who weren't part human were the birds. Luckily, she couldn't really see any ravens.

She noticed she had been seperated from Fakir and Uzura, and panicked. "Oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? I don't see them anywhere!" She was about to call out their names when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Moron. Don't get lost like that."

Ahiru pouted as Fakir took her hand and led her to his house. When they got inside, Fakir went up to take a shower. Ahiru changed into her school uniform in the room since she thought the dress was too pretty, and decided to save it. She only started slipping on her top when Fakir walked in.

They both stood there for a few seconds, in shock. Then--

**"EEYYYYAAAAAHHHH!"

* * *

**"It's your fault for changing in my room!"

"Where else could I change? You were hogging up the bathroom!"

"You could've waited until I was done!"

"And you could've knocked first!"

Ahiru and Fakir were still fighting about the changing incident when they heard a knock on the door. Fakir went to answer it as Ahiru sat at the table, red from her anger and her embarassment. Fakir opened the door to see Aotoa there. "Fakir! Did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"Another story has been started! Drosselmeyer must be involved! Maybe--"

"Your point?"

Ahiru looked back at Aotoa, who was insanely happy at this. "We must get you two registered at the academy again! Come one!"

And with that he dragged both Ahiru and Fakir out of the house.

* * *

**I'm afraid that is all for today. Is a fun story awaiting us? A sad story? Or maybe...**

* * *


	5. A Rewritten Story: Part Two

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu.

Author's Note: Yeah, so I've recently found an interest in Hana Yori Dango. You guys should watch the live-action version, cuz, man, that Tsukasa guy is h-o-t!

And as I finish writing this chapter a few weeks later, I will like to add I've also watched all 49 episodes of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon during this week. My desktop backround is Sailor Moon sitting on a moon with her harp. And another new anime love I've recently found is... insert drumroll here... Mamoru! Yay!

And also, if I happen to type Mr. Cat in, although I'm using Neko-sensei, please forgive me. And on Gachou's name: I originally planned on her being a goose, and being able to go back and forth like Ahiru, but I decided that was like copying, so she's just an ordinary girl. By the time I was far up into the series to know that not all of their names were Japanese, Gachou just already stuck. In fact, I'm not even 100 sure Gachou means "goose" in Japanese, but, oh well...

In the previous chapter: Ahiru and Fakir were invited to Mytho and Rue's wedding. They had fun on the beach and hanging out with each other, unbeknownst to the fact that they were being watched. Then, Mytho was pushed out of the window, and Ahiru was turned back into Princess Tutu to save him.

* * *

**Chapter Two: A Rewritten Story**

**Part Two of Two

* * *

**"Ah! Oh no, I'm gonna be late!"

Ahiru dashed out of her dormitory door, past all of the girl's rooms. Two stuck their head out, and watched with a confused expression as Ahiru sprinted out of the dormitories. The purple-haired one said, "What's she doing? There's an hour left til class starts!"

The bubbly blond smiled, with hearts in her eyes. "She's so cute!"

* * *

Fakir pushed the covers off of himself and stood up. He started to walk to the bathroom when something caught his eye outside. He looked out the window and saw a redhead running at full speed, her long braid trailing behind her.

"Moron."

* * *

_Aww man!_ Ahiru complained to herself. _Why do I always have to be late? I tried so hard to wake up on time, but-- _"OOWWW!"

Ahiru tripped as she ran and fell forward, unaware of the object that was in front of her. Both girls fell to the ground, Ahiru on top. She sat up and rubbed her head, and looked behind her. She had tripped over a rock. _What was that stupid rock there for?_

Then she heard a muffled sound beneath her. She looked down and noticed she was sitting on someone. She jumped off of the girl with an "Ack!" of surprise. The girl sat up and rubbed her forehead. She had yellowish-brownish hair, which went down to a little above her shoulder. She had two seperate strands in the front, and pink bows on the side of her head.

Ahiru reached her arm out. "Oh, I-I'm sorry, I wa--"

The girl buried her face in her hands. "Oh, world! What have I done to recieve such treatment!"

"EH?"

"WHAT CRIME HAVE I COMMITED TO HAVE SUCH A FATE BESTOWED UPON ME!"

Ahiru didn't know what to do. This girl was suddenly bowing to her, with tears streaming down her face. "I'M SORRY, I AM SO SO SORRY, I SHOULD'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, REALLY, IT'S MY FAULT!"

Ahiru waved her hand and laughed nervously. "No, it's fine! It's my fault, I'm the one who ran into you. **I'm** the one who should've been paying attention. Really, it's okay."

The girl looked up, her dark brown eyes glistening with tears. "A-are you sure?" She asked, her voice quavering.

"Yes, I'm really sure! Sorry!" She said smiling. The girl smiled back and stood up, wiping the tears from her face. She was almost as tall as Fakir, making her much taller than Ahiru. Ahiru sweatdropped at the height difference.

The girl held out her hand. "It was nice to meet you, er, um..."

Ahiru looked at her confused for a few seconds, then realized what she was saying. "Oh! Uh, my name's Ahiru!" Ahiru took her hand and shook it, saying, "It was nice meeting you too..."

"My name's Gachou!" The girl smiled brightly, and Ahiru smiled back. _She's kinda like a little kid..._ She thought to herself. "Well," Gachou took her hand back and started speaking again. "Do you know whe--"

"Gachou!"

Both girls turned to the source of the voice. An older girl with black, slightly curly hair walked up to them. "Gachou, I told you not to run off like that. Neither of us know our way around her, so stop acting so childish."

Gachou looked at the ground and quietly mumbled an apology. The girl didn't look satisfied. She grabbed Gachou's hand and pulled her toward the building. Gachou looked back to Ahiru and waved, shouting, "Bye! See you later!" with a grin on her face. Ahiru waved back. The other girl turned around. Ahiru's smile faded was the girl glared at her, her deep violet eyes penetratingly frightening. She turned from Ahiru and walked on, leaving Ahiru confused as ever.

She stood there and pondered. _Did I do something to annoy her? I don't think so, unless she glares at anybody who talks to Gachou... wait..._ Ahiru was shocked. _Maybe she's in love with Gachou, and doesn't want anyone to go near her. If that's the case, then that means she's really possessive, which means... we've got another Fakir on our hands! Oh no, Lilie is rubbing off on me. I mean, Fakir isn't _that_ bad...  
_

"Hey, you."

_Speak of the devil_, Ahiru thought as Fakir walked up to her. "What are you doing, just standing there spaced out? You're gonna be late to cla--"

"**OH MY GOSH I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT CLASS WHAT AM I GONNA DO I'M GONNA BE LATE!**" Ahiru yelled as she turned to run. But Fakir caught her by the end of her braid and yanked her back, resulting in pain. "**OW**!"

Ahiru rubbed her head as Fakir said, "Idiot, the bell didn't even ring yet. Don't get carried away."

Then, they heard the bell ring.

Fakir and Ahiru both bolted toward the building.

* * *

As everyone began stretching, Pique and Lilie looked around for Ahiru. Neko-sensei tapped some keys on the piano. Lilie cheerfully stated, "Oooh, Ahiru isn't here yet..."

"And neither is the wonderful Fakir," Pique said, glancing at the door.

"Oh my!" Lilie exclaimed. "Could it be she's skipping school with Fakir? Both of them, on a secret romantic rendezvous... oh, how exciting!"

Pique rolled her eyes. "Aw, c'mon. It's probably just a coincidence they're both late..."

Several minutes passed before the door creaked slightly open. A small foot emerged from the outside, and soon, Ahiru's head was visible, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. She turned and nodded to Fakir, who entered casually, striding over to Neko-sensei was Ahiru snuck in. Neko-sensei and Fakir talked as Ahiru tiptoed over to her usual spot. Neko-sensei's back was to the rest of the class, and didn't see her walk in late. She breathed a sigh of relief and Lilie and Pique high-fived.

"Wow, Ahiru! For once you got in without a proposal of marr--"

"Ahiru-san!"

Everyone's head sharply turned to Neko-sensei, who beckoned over Ahiru. She slumped and trudged over to Neko-sensei and Fakir. Neko-sensei raised a hand, and Ahiru flinched. But she relaxed slightly as she felt his paw patting her back. "Good job, Ahiru-san. That was the right thing to do. I'll excuse you're tardiness for today."

As Fakir and Ahiru walked back to their spots, Ahiru looked up at Fakir and asked, "Um, what did you tell him?"

**FLASHBACK**

_"Oh no!" Ahiru sighed. "What am I gonna do? Neko-sensei will make me marry him for sure!"_

_"No he won't," Fakir said reassuringly._

_"Huh?"_

_"Don't worry," he said. "I'll handle it. Just get to your spot as quietly as you can without attracting attention."_

_"Are you sure about this?" Ahiru asked, unsure of his intentions."_

_"It'll be fine, don't worry."_

**END FLASHBACK"  
**

"I told him we were walking to class when we saw an injured bird lying on the ground. We were late because we helped it out." Fakir said, and turned toward the other side of the room. Ahiru looked after him and smiled.

* * *

"Okay, class, settle down," Neko-sensei said, trying to calm down the class. All the students were seated by the barre, the advace students seperate from everyone else. Everyone kept talking, despite the teacher's efforts to calm then down. Neko-sensei finally lost it, and he shouted, "IF YOU ALL DON'T STOP TALKING **IMMEDIATELY**, I WILL HAVE **ALL OF YOU** MARRY ME **TOGETHER**!"

Everyone immediately shut up.

"Ahem..." Neko-sensei coughed and continued. "Well then, today we have two new students joining us in the ballet class. Please do your best to make them feel welcome and DO **NOT **SPACE OUT WHILE I'M **TALKING**!"

Everyone's eyes turned to Ahiru, who snapped back to reality and turned red in the face.

"Ahiru-san, I excused you for being tardy today, but that doesn't mean I WON'T HAVE YOU MARRY ME!"

"I'm so sorry!" Ahiru shouted.

Lilie chimed in, dramatically saying, "Oh, no! Anything but that! What a horrible fate to befall someone!"

Neko-sensei rolled in circles on the ground as Lilie gave Ahiru a noogie. Once Neko-sensei finally calmed down, he stood up and turned his head to the door. "You may come in now."

Two girl walked in, both who looked familiar to Ahiru. Then she recognized them as the girls from earlier in the morning. The black-haired one was slightly taller than Gachou, and she looked as tall as Fakir, maybe even taller. She stood there with a melancholy expression on her face. Her and Gachou were both wearing the basic class outfits, but Ahiru had a feeling the girl next to Gachou was really good.

Gachou waved to everyone with a huge smile. "Hi everybody! My name is Gachou, and this is my sister, Melanctha! We're pleased to meet you!" The girl, who Ahiru now knew was Melanctha, nudged Gachou with her right elbow, and whispered something in her ear. Gachou apologized for something, and turned back to everyone and smiled. She looked among the crowd, and her eyes rested upon Ahiru. Ahiru smiled and waved, and Gachou waved back.

Ahiru turned to Melanctha, who had a blank expression on her face. It looked like she didn't really want to be there. Everyone else in class were whispering among themselves, either about how pretty Melanctha was, or how cheerful Gachou was. Ahiru was agreeing with them in her mind when she heard a thud to her left. She looked over to see Gachou sitting next to her. Gachou smiled and said "hi", and Ahiru smiled back. Melanctha sat off by herself, away from everyone else.

Some people turned around in front of us, one of the a boy. The boy asked, "Um, why are you so happy all of the time?"

Gachou's smile faded as she turned to the two people. Ahiru cocked her head to one side. Gachou glared at them and growled, "You got a problem with it?"

Ahiru's eyes widened. _Eh? She was so nice before, but now... _The two kids who asked that suddenly got scared looks on their faces and turned away. Gachou turned back to Ahiru. She thought Gachou was going to lash out on her too, but instead, Gachou gave her a smile. Ahiru smiled faintly and turned to face the other way, a little intimidated by Gachou.

_I wonder what that was...

* * *

_ During class, various people went up to Melanctha, but she brushed them off. She seemed a little like a loner, sitting all by herself with that brooding look. Ahiru wondered how Melanctha and Gachou were sisters, since they were almost completely different. She sometimes wondered how they were related at all. Melanctha didn't talk to anyone, let alone talk at all. When class was over, she was the first one out. Ahiru looked to see where she was going, thinking she needed to go somewhere important, but Melanctha only entered the girl's dormitory.

Ahiru stood in one spot as people walked past. She was determined to figure out this mystery that is Melanctha. Why is she always alone? Why does she never talk? She knew she couldn't ask these straight out to Melanctha, so she decided to ask the person who seemed to know her best: her sister.

So Ahiru scanned the crowds for Gachou, but instead saw Fakir. She grinned and ran over to him. She tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Hey Fakir!"

He turned around and said, "Oh, hey Ahiru. Do you need something?"

Ahiru started walking by Fakir's side. "Um, well, kind of... have you seen Gachou anywhere?"

Fakir raised his eyebrows. "What, that weird kid who smiles too much?"

Then, all of a sudden, Ahiru saw a blur go right past her. She heard a smack and an "OW!" Once Ahiru had registered what had happened, she turned to see Fakir lying on the ground, holding his nose. "Fakir!" Ahiru rushed to his side and asked, "Are you all right?" Then she heard someone step behind her.

"That was my famous flying side kick. You should know better than to gossip about the new kid." Ahiru turned to see Gachou standing above them with a smug look on her face. Some people stopped to see what was going on... okay, just about the entire student population stopped to look.

Fakir looked up and took his hand of his nose, glaring. "What the hell was that for?"

Gachou put on an innocent look and stated, "Well, I was just looking around for my new friend Ahiru-chan when I heard you say I'm weird. And that really hurt my feelings, so I decided to punish you!" She said the last part with a smile.

"That doesn't mean you have to kick me!"

"You shouldn't be talking about people behind their back!"

"You need to control your temper!"

"DON'T YOU **ORDER** ME **AROUND**!"

"DON'T ORDER **ME** AROUND!"

"YOU'RE MAKING ME ANGRY!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Ahiru just sat in the middle, not knowing what to do as they spouted off their insults and kept on fighting. Eventually, the other kids on campus began to disperse, realizing their fight wasn't going to end any time soon.

Fakir got up and walked toward Gachou, still yelling. Ahiru sighed and walked away, not knowing of the violet eyes that were baring into her.

* * *

Melanctha turned away from the window, letting the black curtains fall back into place. The room became dark, lighted only by a single candle on the table. She sat on her bed, vague memories overwhelming her. "What... what is this I feel when I see him? I feel as if... there's something important I need to do..." 

_But what is it? Why do I have this feeling that there's something important I need to remember? Do I have a special mission I need to fulfill that was my reason for coming here?

* * *

_The old man rocked back and forth in his rocking chair, peering into a moving gear. Drosselmeyer cackled. "That's right, that's right! That special something you need to do will play a very important role in the fate of everyone! Ahiru-chan, you better watch out! Be always on your gaurd, ehehehehe!"

* * *


	6. A Secret Hideaway: Part One

**+Princess Tutu: Kapitel des Vogels+**

_Author: hakuchou-san

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, I was at a loss of what to write this chapter about. And I decided to stop talking about Japanese dramas and my personal life in my author's notes. This is a online story, not the Extra Special Blah-Blah-Blah (those who read Fruits Basket know what I'm talking about). Sorry! And I just wanted to say, I read the Mediator series by Meg Cabot (ah great, I just said not to do this) and it has inspired me to give more detail in my writing, so hopefully, these chapters will improve (I can't even read the last few, I might be tempted to delete this story 'cuz it sucks so much)! I hope this chapter isn't _too _dull. Please R&R and enjoy!

In the previous chapter: Ahiru and Fakir both attend Kinkan Academy again. There are two new students in their class: Gachou, a twisted girl with split personalities and a fiery temper; and Melanctha, Gachou's beautiful yet gloomy sister who isolates herself from the other classmates.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Secret Hideaway  
**

**Part One of Two

* * *

**

Ahiru yawned as she walked to class. For once she woke up on time, and she was determined to get to class on time. She had even planned it out the night before: "Operation Be On Time!". She decided, if she wanted to be a better student, she had to put more effort into it.

And that she did. It was a pain to have to wake up so early in the morning. It was much easier to just be late, but Ahiru wasn't the lazy type. No, she decided, not even an earthquake or a fire could get in her way now. "Nothing will stop me from getting to class early!" She practically yelled as she raised a fist into the air.

"I highly doubt that," Fakir said coldly as he walked up next to Ahiru, surprising her. She nearly jumped a foot in the air, she was so startled.

"Don't be so mean!" Ahiru whined as she pouted at him. She put her hands on her hips and glared, but to no effect. She then noticed Fakir looking around nervously, scanning the crowd of people. "Um, Fakir, what are you doing?"

Fakir turned to Ahiru and whispered, "Shh! Be more quiet, will ya? I'm hiding . . ." Fakir crouched lower to the ground.

"Really?" Ahiru asked confused. "From who?"

"That _girl_ from yesterday," Fakir answered grimly. "The one who did a flying kick to my face!" Fakir rubbed his nose, recalling the painful memory.

"Oh!" Ahiru piped in cheerfully. "You mean Gac--"

"Don't say it!" He growled.

"Fakir, isn't it a little cowardly of you to be hiding from her?" Ahiru scolded. Fakir looked up at Ahiru, realizing she had a point. He thought up an excuse.

"Well, er, it's not _exactly _hiding. More like...avoiding another beating to my face."

Ahiru rolled her eyes and stood right in front of Fakir, with her arms crossed. "Fakir," she lectured, "this isn't like you. You're being a coward because you don't want to be beaten by a girl again, aren't you?"

"That's no--" Fakir started, but Ahiru put up her hand to silence him.

"That is it, you said so yourself, remember? You said you were hiding? But you're not a little boy anymore. You're a fully grown smart and good-looking man..." They both suddenly blushed, realizing what Ahiru just said. "I mean, good-looking to other people. Female people. That aren't me-- **anyway**," Ahiru continued with a cough. "What I'm saying is, you're older now, and shouldn't be hiding from a younger girl, let alone think she's intimidating enough to cringe every time you hear her name! Now get up, and face your fears!"

"I'm not afraid!" Fakir shouted, angry that Ahiru would assume that. "Not of a little girl like her!"

Ahiru knew that her little pep talk had hit home.

"Then prove it! Face your problems, and conquer them! Unless..." Ahiru leaned down and whispered, "...unless you're too afraid to."

"What? I'll show you!" Fakir angrily got up, ready for his encounter with Gachou.

"That's it! Fight-o! Fight-o!"

Fakir looked down at Ahiru. "Pique and Lilie really rub off on you, don't they?"

"Nah," Ahiru assured him, switching back to her old self. "Just taking advice from them."

"Please don't do something like that again."

"Why not?" Ahiru asked, skeptical.

"'Cause that really wasn't like you and it kinda scared me."

"Okay." Ahiru looked down with a little shame.

They walked in silence for a while, nearing the ballet building. Many people were walking to their classes, or just hanging out around the fountain. Ahiru observed them quietly to herself.

"So." Fakir said, and Ahiru turned to him. "Are you, um, busy after classes?"

Ahiru blushed a little-- only a little, just slightly-- and shook her head. Fakir saw this out of the corner of his eye (he was still facing forward) and turned red. _What's he doing?_ Ahiru asked herself. She felt somewhat nervous, and tensed up. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, uh, um..." Fakir turned even redder and didn't face her. Instead, he turned his head the other way, so she couldn't see his face at all. He ran his fingers through his dark green hair. And he spat out what was on his mind all morning. "Doyouwannagogeticecreamwithme?"

Except Ahiru didn't understand him. Because:

a) he said it really quickly, and

b) his face was turned to face the other direction.

So in reply, she said, "Eh?"

Fakir turned to directly face Ahiru, who took a step back. His face wasn't as red as before. "Do you wanna go get ice cream with me after school?"

"EH?"

"You don't have to, though. It's just, I hear there's really good ice cream at the place across the street. And you can bring a friend with you, if you don't wanna hang out with just me..."

Ahiru didn't believe it at first, that Fakir would want to hang out with her. But she simply smiled and said, "Of course I do! I'd love to!"

Fakir looked relieved. "Really?"

"Sure!" Ahiru grinned. "And I don't mind hanging out with just you!" Ahiru smiled happily, and Fakir smiled back.

"By the way," Fakir said, walking ahead. "You're paying."

"**WHAT?**" Ahiru yelled, annoyed. "You jerk! I might just have to let Gachou beat you up for me--!"

"Did someone say my name?"

Gachou rushed up to Ahiru's side, smiling. "Ah! Hi Gachou!" Ahiru waved. Gachou looked condescendingly at Fakir, who turned around to face her and try his best to not look intimidated. He stood up straight with a glare. Gachou's smile dropped immediatly and she kicked his shin.

Fakir let out a yelp of pain-- with caused many students to turn in his direction-- and yelled, **"What the hell was that for?"**

"Don't look at me like that," Gachou shouted. "You shouldn't glare at people you've only just met!"

"And you shouldn't be causing trouble on your second day," came an icy voice from behind them.

Now it was Gachou's turn to yelp as someone behind her pulled on her ear. The icy voice belonged to Melanctha, who was looking moody as usual. "Hi, Melanctha-chan!" Ahiru greeted cheerfully as Fakir held his shin, grimacing in pain.

"Don't be mean, Melanctha!" Gachou yelled, flailing her arms and pouting.

Melanctha pulled harder and Gachou let out a gasp. "Mother wouldn't like you picking on others. Now say you're sorry."

"No! Never! He was glaring-- **OW**!" Melanctha tugged harder and Gachou gave in. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Fakir. Forgive me." Melanctha relunctantly loosened her grip on Gachou's ear, and Ahiru stood there feeling awkward. "Would getting on my hands and knees and kissing your feet make you feel better?" She asked sarcastically.

Melanctha let go and smacked Gachou upside the head, making Ahiru flinch. Fakir looked up and glared, saying, "It's a start."

Melanctha ignored Gachou's groan and apologized, "Sorry about my sister. She can be a real pain sometimes. Actually," Melanctha added with a glance in Gachou's direction, "she's a real pain **all** the time."

"Stop fraternizing with the enemy!" Gachou yelled, half-joking. "And, HEY! I'm not always a pain!"

That's when Ahiru remembered her goal that morning: _don't be late_. "Ah, sorry guys, I gotta go! See you later?" She looked over at Melanctha, who just looked at her with an cold stare and turned away. "I'm busy later."

Then she walked away.

* * *

"Well, Ahiru-san, I see you came early today. COULD IT BE BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO PROPOSE TO ME BEFORE ANYONE GOT HERE?"

"Ah, uh, ahaha...not really." Ahiru looked at him nervously, then shook her head really fast. She might as well have been late. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

As Neko-sensei scratched his head furiously, Ahiru began walking over to her usual spot when she heard a high-pitched bubbly voice exclaim, "Look, there she is!" Ahiru looked up to see Pique ad Lilie run over to her, squealing. They pulled her over to her spot and started giggling.

"Huh? W-what is it?" Ahiru asked nervously.

Lilie and Pique looked at her and asked, "Hey, does Fakir-senpai have a girlfriend?"

"Huh? How should I know?" She asked.

"Because," Lilie chimed in, "we saw you walking with him this morning, and all the girls think he's cute!"

"We knew him ever since before last year, but he's always been by himself, and he rejects all the girls who ask him out!" Pique added, and she and Lilie looked out the window to she Fakir seemingly arguing with Gachou.

Ahiru smiled when she noticed them out there too, then frowned, noticing something missing in their story: herself. _Oh, right, of course they don't remember about me. I'm just a duck... _She sighed sadly. She looked around at all the familiar faces, whom she knew over a certain period of time, and felt like crying. _None of these people remember me. No one. I remember them, but..._ She felt herself tearing up, so she breathed in and out, in and out, and calmed down.

Pique continued talking, assuming Ahiru's sigh was because Fakir didn't date people and that she liked him. "I know, bummer, right? No girl has a chance with him!"-- Ahiru felt rather proud of herself after being asked to get ice cream with Fakir after school, even if it was only a friend thing-- "But this one girl asked him out last month, but he declined. You know why?

Ahiru's expression was quizzical. "Er, no. Why?"

"Rumor has it, there is a girl he loves, a princess from far, far awa--!"

"No, no," Lilie interrupted the violet-haired ballerina. "Not a princess, but an older, childhood friend, whom he used to love, but died in a great battle for his affection!" Ahiru silently laughed at her friend's silliness, knowing that couldn't possibly be it.

A girl with blonde pigtails that was stretching nearby named Lana, who was listening in to the conversation, also butted in. "No, you're both wrong! It was a mysterious older woman dressed in a cloak that he met once, and has been infatuated with ever since! He's devoted his life to looking for her--!"

"That's not it either!" A girl with short brown hair entered the conversation. "He kissed a frog one day and it turned into a beautiful princess! He's loved her ever since!"

All the students in the room turned to the girl.

"Oh, and I suppose _you _have a better theory?" Tilly said defiantly, placing her hands on her hips.

"I already said," Pique started to explain, "a princess in a far away kingdom!"

"No, a mystery woman!" Lana shouted.

"A beautiful maiden!"

"Died in a battle!"

"My sister!"

Ahiru looked back and forth from each girl who shouted out their theory, and sighed hopelessly. _None of those are even likely to have happened..._. She looked over at Fakir, who was stretching and didn't seem to be listening. _He can probably hear though, but just not saying anything about it..._ She looked at him, thinking about all the times they've spent together.

_Fakir was the first person to discover my real identity: a duck. Most people would have scoffed and said, "A duck? How pathetic!" But, he didn't. He accepted me for who I really was. And I'm so grateful for that. I should thank him one day... _Then Ahiru realized Fakir was staring back at her, confused. Ahiru quickly noticed this and turned away, blushing. _Ah, great, now he's wondering why I was staring at him..._

"Maybe it's a mermaid!"

Ahiru snapped out of her stupor and continued concentrating on the conversation.

Ahiru breathed a sigh of relief, then looked over at Fakir, who turned away as she did so. _I hope he's not mad at me for some reason...  
_

Ahiru was about to ask when class was about to start when Gachou, who mysteriously popped up in the center of the crowd, stuck her arm up and pointed to the ceiling while shouting her idea at the top of her lungs: "I think he fell in love with a duck who turned into a human!"

"QUAA--" Ahiru covered her mouth with her hands. She hid behind Pique and Lilie, carefully avoiding other's confused gazes, wondering about her outburst. Many people looked quizzically at her.

_Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? She must know I'm a duck, but how? I didn't tell anyone! Now everyone's gonna know! _A/N: Notice how Ahiru was oblivious to the fact that they suggested Fakir being in love with her. O.O

But to her surprise, one of the tall, older girls-- named Oletta-- said condescendingly, "That's the lamest idea I've heard yet!"

"I know!" Another girl said. "Who ever heard of a duck turning into a girl?"

Ahiru breathed a sigh of relief, happy they hadn't known all along. _It was probably just a wild guess, totally coincidental!_ Ahiru thought. Then she laughed at the irony of it all.

Ahiru looked in Fakir's direction to see his reaction, and he was also looking in her direction. His whole face was red, and when he noticed Ahiru looking at him, he turned away.

_Ah, he's probably just embarassed that they're talking about the girl he likes..._ Poor, clueless Ahiru.

Ahiru and Fakir took one last glance at each other, then turned away._  
_

"That's stupid!" People kept saying about Gachou's idea. "Why a duck?"

"Because!" Gachou yelled back. "A duck was the first animal that came to mind! Besides, it's not like your ideas were any better!"

"They were too!"

Finally, the bell rang. Neko-sensei strode in, then noticed the group of students in the middle of the room. "THE BELL HAS RUNG! SHOULD YOU NOT BE **PRACTICING**? HURRY, GO ON!"

Many startled students ran to their places nervously. Surprisingly enough, Ahiru did not get in trouble for most of the morning. She did as she was told and Neko-sensei didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. He just looked at the empty spot in the corner, puzzled.

Ahiru, Lilie, and Pique followed his gaze to the spot. Ahiru looked just as puzzled.

"Why is he looking at the one spot?" Ahiru leaned over and whispered to her friends.

"That's the new girl's spot," Pique whispered back. "Melanctha."

"Oh!" Ahiru realized. "Why isn't she here?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know."

"Maybe she's late because of a tremendous battle!" Lilie suggested.

"But I just saw her this morning!"

Melanctha chose that moment to walk in. Everyone looked over at her. Neko-sensei watched Melanctha walk silently to her spot, and said in a loud voice so she could hear, "Melanctha-san, I hope you realize you're late to class. I would let this slide since you are new, but you have been late to class the past few days. I am sorry to say you're going to have to stay after for cleaning, or YOU WILL HAVE TO MARRY ME!"

Everyone looked stunned as Melanctha completely ignored Neko-sensei's presence. She didn't even listen to him speak. She just walked to her spot and stretched. Neko-sensei noticed this, and started cleaning himself furiously.

Ahiru looked over at her, and felt a little sympathy. _It's kinda sad how she's always by herself. She's probably a very friendly person who's always lonely._

Boy, was she wrong.

* * *

After being lectured and assigned to cleaning duty that day, Ahiru trudged silently with a mop and a bucket in each of her hands. Some water from the bucket made it's way onto the floor. Her feet ached from walking, and she yawned. "Man, why am I always assigned to cleaning duty?" she complained outloud. _And today, of all days! Fakir asked me to go get ice cream with him! Wait, why am I so excited? It's not like I like him or anything. Besides, he probably meant it in a friendly way, and yet I feel slightly disappointed..._

Ahiru sighed and when she reached the classroom, she turned the doorknob and swung the door open. And she gasped.

It was already clean. The windows shined and the floor sparkled. Everying was absolutely perfect. "Who did this?" Ahiru asked to herself as she walked toward the window. She ran a finger along the windowsill, and lifted up a-- suprisingly enough-- dust-free finger.

Then, something caught her eye. She looked outside through the clean window, and saw Melanctha walking through the grass. _Of course! It must have been Melanctha! She was also assigned to cleaning duty. I wonder where she's going...?_

She watched as Melanctha walked toward the library. Ahiru assumed she was going to walk in through the double doors, and was caught off gaurd when Melanctha walked not toward the building, but around it. Ahiru, not able to hide her curiosity as to where Melanctha was headed to, ran out of the building and followed her, unaware of what dangers might await her.

* * *

**I'm afraid that is all for today. Is a fun story awaiting us? A sad story? Or maybe...**


End file.
